It Happened One Friday

 

[The following is a manuscript of my meditation delivered on Good Friday, the 15th of April, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Yesterday afternoon, we shared the Passover meal with Jesus and His dearest friends and closest disciples.  One of those seated at His table, Judas Iscariot, rushed off in the middle of supper, led by Satan to make a deal with the Jewish authorities.  What followed are the darkest hours in the history of mankind.

During the night and into the day, Jesus was betrayed, denied, humiliated, ridiculed, tortured, beaten, and whipped.  Throughout all this, He remained mostly silent, as the Spotless Lamb led to the slaughter.  Today, a little before three, He will be nailed to a cross.

Our church reading earlier, from our hymnal, is adapted from Mark 15, giving a somewhat condensed version of the last day of Jesus’ mortal life.  But how did the betrayer feel now?  And what about the crowds who greeted Jesus with shouts of “Hosanna!”, “Save us!”, mere days before?  Will they come to Jesus’ rescue, or will God send an army of angels to free Him?  And what about the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate?  Is this part of the job he signed up for?

I’d like to look at how the Apostle Matthew reported the events of that day.  This is a little long, but I think it’s important that we know and understand all that happened one Friday.  Please listen and follow along to the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew as I read verses 1 through 61 of chapter 27 from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible...

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, “Barabbas!”

22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that an uproar was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

“They divided My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots.”

36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting in front of the tomb.

--Matthew 27:1-61 (NKJV)

Let us pray… Father God, this afternoon we remember the darkest day in all of Your creation – the day we tortured and executed Your Son, nailing Him to a cruel cross.  Jesus came to offer us salvation, but the world refused Him.  We drove nails into the hands He stretched out to save us.  We cursed Him, spat on Him, beat Him, killed Him.  But You knew all this had to happen.  You knew that only the blood of the one true Spotless Lamb could wash us clean and atone for our sin.  Thank You, Father, for Your great love and mercy.  Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice.  Imprint this day on our hearts so that we might understand just how important this is to us and to others, how critical it is for our eternal life.  This we pray in the name of the Lamb, Your Son Jesus.  Amen.

Our modern workday world has a saying that I myself have repeated quite often: “Thank God, it’s Friday!”  For the Jewish people, Friday was the day of preparation.  Saturday is the Sabbath, when no labor is allowed to be performed by law.  So anything that might be needed for Saturday had to be prepared before sundown Friday, as their day went from sundown to sundown.

We know that Jesus was arrested by Judas and the temple guards sometime Thursday night; after supper, after He washed His disciples’ feet, after they left the house singing hymns and onto the mountainside, after He went off for a while to pray.  In other words, it may have been quite late when Jesus was taken into custody and to the temple.  But He wasn’t allowed to rest, for they took Him before Caiaphas, the high priest, who had called the scribes and elders, the chief priests into assembly.  They held their little mock trial and had Jesus beaten a bit, just for good measure.  And next we’re told that morning had come, with no word of sleep or rest.

Friday morning, the one we usually look forward to, didn’t start off very well for Jesus.  I can’t say that Judas was enjoying it much either.  We he saw the result of his betrayal, that Jesus had been condemned by the Jewish leadership and carried off to Pilate for sentencing, he was filled with remorse.  He went back to the high council, offering to give back the money he had been paid, seeking atonement for his sin.  They shrugged him off, saying it was no concern of theirs what he did, now that they had what they wanted.  So in his anguish, Judas went off and killed himself.

That was of no help to Jesus, of course.  He now stood in judgment before the highest human authority in the land, the commander of the occupying army, Pontius Pilate.

But quite frankly, Pilate would rather have not been involved at all.  He was a Roman, not a Jew.  He worshiped multiple gods, not just one.  The only reason he cared about any of this at all is because the leaders of the occupied people were stirring the crowds into a frenzy, and he feared riots and unrest might erupt.  He was there to keep the peace, the Roman peace, and that meant keeping the people under control, by any  means necessary, even putting this man Jesus to death if that would quieten the mob.

Still, Pilate wasn’t convinced that Jesus had done anything deserving of death.  First, he gave Jesus a chance to answer the charges against Him, but He said nothing, other than agreeing to the governor’s assertion that He was the King of the Jews.  That ploy didn’t work, so next Pilate offered the people, the mob, a choice: he could pardon either Jesus or the notorious prisoner, the murderer Barabbas.  “Which do you choose?”, he asked.

At this point, Pilate was convinced that the Jewish leaders had planned all this and brought Jesus here for judgment because they were jealous of Him, envious of His popularity with the people, covetous of His power and authority over illness and affliction.  Even Pilate’s wife realized these proceedings were wrong, that it would all turn out bad, for she had been warned in a dream so she sent word to her husband to have nothing to do with this matter.

Still he persisted, “Which do you choose to free, Barabbas or Jesus?”  “Free Barabbas!”, they cried.  “And what then shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”, Pilate asked, amazed by the mob’s reply.  “Let Him be crucified!”, they shouted.  The same people who began the week by greeting Jesus as He entered Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna” now called for Him to be put to death in a most horrible way, by crucifixion.

And now Pilate had run out of options.  He ignored his wife’s warning and his own gut feelings.  He had no other choice if he wanted to appease the crowds and maintain the peace.  This Jesus had to die, guilty or not.  So he washed his hands of the whole mess as the people accepted responsibility.  Barabbas was released and Jesus was carried off for more torture and then to be nailed to the cross.

It’s still Friday morning.  Matthew doesn’t get into great detail about it, but Jesus was scourged, which in the day was to be whipped with a cat-o-nine-tails.  This was basically a handle with a number of short leather straps tied on it, and those strips of leather had shards or pottery and bits of metal embedded in them.  The end result was a tool of torture that would literally peel the flesh off a person’s back.  This is what Jesus was beaten with.  This is what the prophet Isaiah was shown when he reported that the Good Servant bore our stripes.

During this scourging, blood loss would be great, leaving the victim physically weak.  Those sentenced to crucifixion were required to drag their own crosses up to the place of execution, up to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull.  But after the scourging, Jesus was unable to shoulder the cross very far, so the Romans grabbed a man out of the crowd and forced him to carry it the rest of the way.  This poor famer who was simply returning from his fields, Simon of Cyrene, will forever be remembered for this act.

Now before actually nailing Jesus to the cross, they offered Him a drink that was a mixture of sour wine and an ingredient Matthew calls gall.  The net effect of this concoction was to act as a pain blocker, much like a narcotic would be used today to deaden any pain.  When Jesus tasted what was in the mixture, He refused to drink it.  This isn’t to imply that Jesus was trying to be a masochist or that He enjoyed pain.  No, but He was here to suffer for us, to take our punishment, to feel all the pain that our sin has caused.  He had to experience the full brunt so that we could relate to what He endured… just for us.

So they crucified Him, just as the mob demanded.  The Roman soldiers gambled over His clothing, again just as Messianic prophecy foretold.  (Matthew made it a point to show how Jesus fulfilled everything ever predicted regarding the Messiah.)  Then they sat down and watched as Jesus suffered.  They watched as those who passed by mocked and ridiculed Him, including the chief priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees, and even the criminals crucified alongside Him.

“If You’re the Son of God, come down off that cross, and then we’ll believe in You.”  Do you remember what Jesus told Thomas when He appeared before the disciples after His resurrection?  He said, “Thomas, you believe because you have seen My nail scarred hands and spear pierced side.  Blessed are those who believe who have not seen.”

The unbelieving Jews wanted more proof.  It didn’t matter that Jesus had performed miracle after miracle, they demanded yet another sign.  But it was all for naught, for their hearts were already hardened and cold, just as foretold.

It is now around noon on Friday.  The sun has faded out and darkness covers the land for the next three hours.  Finally, at 3 in the afternoon, the mortal side of Jesus breaks through, and He cries out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”.

How many of us have ever cried out like that?  How many of us, in a moment of great pain and anguish have shouted, “My God, why are You letting this happen to me?”

Jesus was God, but God in the flesh.  That means He could feel physical pain, and emotional anguish.  With all He has endured – the sleep deprivation, the betrayal, the torture, the unbearable suffering – is it any wonder the human side would slip through for a moment and allow a mortal cry for help to escape?

And then He breathed His last, and it was over.

Of course, we know it was not really over, not that day, and certainly not in God’s great plan.  The earth shook.  The veil in the temple, that separated man from God, was torn in two from top to bottom.  And graves were opened, allowing the saints to rise again from the dead, as witnessed by many in Jerusalem.

The centurion and soldiers who had presided over the execution took note of all these events, and became very fearful.  “Truly this was the Son of God!”, they realized.  If only they and the Jewish people had understood this before.

Evening and the start of the Sabbath was rapidly approaching.  A rich man from Arimathea by the name of Joseph, who had become a believer in Jesus, approached Pilate and asked that he might be given the body of Jesus to give a proper burial.  Pilate granted that request, and Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean cloth, laid it in a new tomb which he had hewn out of the hillside rock, and then rolled a large stone across the doorway, blocking the entrance.

By now it was the Sabbath, and all Mary Magdalene could do was sit in front of the tomb, and weep.

All this happened one Friday.  We could almost make that a title for a love story, couldn’t we?  “It Happened One Friday”.  For Jesus and those who followed Him, this was a very long and tragic day.  This Man they had followed for three years, the One who was supposed to save them, had been horribly put to death and now laid buried in a tomb!  Where is the love in that?!!?

Well, it really is a love story.  And it’s a story that starts out, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

This is love, that Jesus suffered and died for us, that He allowed His flesh to be torn and His blood to be shed so that we could be washed clean of our sin.  And it happened one Friday, a day much like today.

Of course, we know that it did not end that Friday.  On Sunday we will celebrate our Lord’s resurrection and the promise of our own new life.  But today, let us mourn with the disciples and His mother and the women who followed Jesus from Galilee.  And let us remember all that He went through just for us.  Remember that He took the punishment we deserve.  Remember that He suffered at the hands of those He came to save.

Sunday we can rejoice, but today let us weep and reflect on what happened one Friday.  In the blessed name of Him who died so that we might live, the name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Lord Jesus, You came to us holding out the arms of God’s love.  You came to us when we were lost in our sin, reaching out Your hand to us, offering to redeem us.  You came to break the chains of sin that hold us captive to this world.  You came to save us from ourselves.  And how did we react to all this mercy and grace?  We refused to accept You.  We tortured You and nailed You to a cruel cross.  You asked Your Father God to forgive those who tormented and beat You, because they just didn’t understand.  Yet still, to this very day, even we who are called by Your name, we still drive nails in Your hands.  We believe in You and Your goodness, but the world has too strong a grasp on us, and we are afraid to let it go.  We judge others based on their looks or their background or the color of their skin, without taking the time to see what is in their hearts.  Forgive us, Lord, because sometimes we still don’t know what we are doing.

But You knew, Lord.  Every step of the way, You knew what was coming.  You knew how the events of each day would play out, including that one Friday when You lived Your last day as a mortal man.  You knew exactly how God’s plan would be accomplished.  You knew why it was necessary for You to be slaughtered, the Spotless Lamb, for the atonement of our sin.  You knew the truth.  Help us, please Lord, to fully grasp the importance of Your sacrifice.  Help us realize that Your greatest suffering came not from any physical pain, but from having to take all our sin upon Yourself.  Forgive us when we fail You.  Forgive us when we won’t listen to Your voice, when we don’t live as You would have us live, when we hesitate to speak out in Your defense, when we deny You by our actions and our inactions.  Forgive us when we fail to love sacrificially, unconditionally, as You love us.  Help us be worthy of Your great sacrifice.  Help us better serve You.  In Your precious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.  Amen.